9 years, 7 books, 323 chapters, 5,090 pages, 1,492,137 words, dozens of characters, thousands of comments, and countless hours later, here we are.

I have been dreading this moment since Astra woke up in her closet at the beginning of Star of Gryffindor. The moment I would have to close the door on everything from this world, and it would finally be over. I definitely never thought it would take this long for it to come, but I'm not sure I really believed I'd stick it out, either. This is truly one of the biggest achievements of my life.

I grew up with this story and these characters. It's been one of the only constants in my life since I was 15 years old, and I wouldn't trade the time I've spent on it for anything in the world. I've made mistakes. I've written absolute trash. I've hit nearly every cliche you can think of. But I wouldn't change any of it, because all of it worked together to help me grow into the person I am today. I do mean person, not just writer, because in writing this story I was able to learn a lot about myself and the world around me. That's something so incredibly precious.

I can't express how much I appreciate all of you who have stuck it out this long. This site can be wildly discouraging sometimes, and I've definitely had my hills to climb with this series. I've watched my reads gradually decline as we got further in. But I've also gotten see all the amazing people who, at some point while I was writing the third or fourth of fifth or sixth or seventh book, picked up the series and read it all the way through. Those comments on chapters I'd forgotten, plot points so far back I had no memory of them, early book scenes I'd tried to burn from my memory... those comments encouraged me to keep going when I thought I should just be done with it all. Inevitably, those brought back the joy this story has always brought me. This has been a long journey, and I never expected so many of you to stay until the end of it.

Some Practical Things:
- You've probably seen me talking in the comments and author's notes about rewriting this series as an original work. I'm sad to say that I won't be posting it here, or anywhere, because I'd love to pursue traditional publishing, and it's hard to do that if your book is already out there for everyone to see.
- On that note, if that series ever actually does get published, I will most likely take down this fanfiction. It won't be deleted, because I have copies saved in Word and Google Docs, but it won't be here anymore. If that does happen one day, I won't take this down with no warning and I'll find a way to share the stories with you guys if for some reason you want to keep them. If only I could save the comments to a PDF!
- I'll still be active on this account for the foreseeable future. I've been clicking on this app multiple times a day for over eight years, and I doubt finishing this series will break me of the habit. Anyway, I'll still be around, even if I won't be actively writing anything anymore.

Questions and Answers
If the Star of Gryffindor characters had theme songs, what would they be?
Wow, am I glad I've made Spotify playlists for each of these characters already. To be clear, these are based on vibes alone, so if you think they're weird... it's the vibes, man. I'd love to hear what you guys think their theme songs would be, though!

Overall (not asked for but too bad): "Fire & Flood" by Dawson Hollow. It's the vibes, okay?

Astra: "Pride" by American Authors and "I Found Out" by The Head And The Heart. Listen, I feel like these both capture two separate parts of who she is at the core so beautifully. "Pride" speaks to her stubborn refusal to give up even when she's on her own in a way, especially against Stillens. She won't give in, no matter what happens. And "I Found Out" is the other side of her, this little girl who came into a new world by herself and had to find her own love in the midst of so much darkness. In the end, the love that she finds (especially through her friends) does indeed save their lives. That alone and yet also deeply loved thing is such an important struggle for her throughout this story, so I simply could not pick one song and had to give you two.

Wren: "Heirloom" by Sleeping At Last. I've never connected a song to a character so quickly. This song talks about generational trauma and reminds me of the way Wren has basically inherited all of these horrible things in her life. It's written from the perspective of the parent, so really kind of a dream of what she'd want them to say to her. However, it keeps coming back to how the child has risen above these things that their parent has put on them: "You are so much more than your father's son. You are so much more than the wars you've won... You are so much more than what I've become." I just love the way it acknowledges all the messed up things while also leaving you so hopeful. In order to understand Wren, you kind of have to understand all of these things in her past.

Albus: "Stop Me From Falling" by Kylie Minogue. Ok, that's a joke, really it's "Into the Storm" by BANNERS. Every time I hear that first song I do think of Albus and his unfortunate unreciprocated crush on his best friend, but that's not who he is as a person. "Into the Storm," however? Considering Albus is the definition of loyal and has been known to follow his friends into the most ridiculously big storms he possibly can... this one seems perfect.

Colette: "Light" by Camp. It was kind of hard to pick a song for her, because even more than everyone else, most of the songs I have are very focused on just one part of her. It's weird, almost like most people who make music are way more in tune with their emotions. Anyway, I love this song for her. Just, Colette having to ask herself "What lights you up? What makes your blood run cold?" and not being able to answer because she's locked up so much of that. And then the knowledge that literally all of her friends would be telling her that they'll love her till the very end (especially after what she had to go through in this book) and sitting with her through this? It's just so soft and I love it.

James: "Suit and Jacket" by Judah & the Lion. The ideas of not wanting to grow up, needing to time to figure out who you are before you can start getting older, I feel like those really resonate with James, especially the person he's been in the past two or three books. Especially with a war influencing his choices and making it harder to even imagine what life could look like after, this song really spoke to his struggle to find out who he is on his own, not as Harry and Ginny Potter's son.

(And as a bonus, because I've got playlists for them, too):

Ciara: "Silver & Gold" by WILD

Nico: "Liar" by Truslow

Poppy: "Rain Clouds" by The Arcadian Wild

(And as another bonus): "Hurts (But It Goes Away) - Acoustic" by The Head And The Heart. This song reminds me so much of Colette and Al throughout this book and it didn't really fit to be one of their theme songs but I wanted to share anyway because it's a bop.

If you'd like some more songs for these kids, I'd be happy to share some. These playlists are and will remain private though so I can't share those, I'm sorry! They're technically for the rewrite, so they might be a little bit spoilery!

At what point in the book had you planned out the whole plot?
I've had the individual book plot fully planned since halfway through the last book, and I've had the overarching series plot planned for... I don't know, eight and a half years? Which does mean I didn't have it planned out until I'd finished the second book, but we don't talk about the early books...

How would the story have changed if one of the Gryffingang had been in a different House?
Ooh it would have changed so much! I'll just go through the five of them here and talk through that.

Colette being in a different House probably would change the story the least. She didn't really want to be at Hogwarts at all when she came in second year, so she would have been as antagonistic as she was anyway regardless of what House she got. There's a good chance Astra would have tried to talk to her the first night, too, whatever House she was in, and they would still have gotten off on the wrong foot. Sure, Astra and James wouldn't have had quite as much evidence to go off of when they started suspecting her, since Astra wouldn't have been able to snoop through her trunk and find books on the dark arts, but the story probably would have been relatively unchanged overall because those two will suspect anyone on zero evidence. If the climax of the second book played out the same, Colette probably would have been integrated into their friend group in much the same way as she actually was, and very little would have changed from that point on.

James is another one that probably wouldn't have changed much, whatever other House he ended up in. More than the others, he has his own life and his own friends (since he's a year older), so being in a different House would've just meant those friends were different. He would probably still have hung out with his little brother's friends anyway. The biggest change I can think of would only have happened if he'd ended up in Slytherin, and that hinges on the fact that he would've spent five years playing Quidditch with Ciara Malfoy and probably would have had a grudging respect for her (and eventually friendship) before the rest of his friends (possibly even before Astra). That probably wouldn't change that much plot-wise, but it would definitely change a lot of character dynamics among the Gryffingang and their friends.

Albus would change the books a little more drastically. I mean, right off the bat, if he'd been a Slytherin when the rumors that he was the new heir of Slytherin were going around, those rumors would have had so much more traction than they already did. But there's a lot more that would change. I think his closest friends would still be the rest of the Gryffingang, because he met Astra and Wren before anyone else that he didn't already know and kind of adopted them when he found out they were both new to this world and basically alone, so I don't think that would change. But the degree of separation a different House would give him might also protect him from falling head over heels for his best friend, and that would change the story a lot. An Albus who wasn't crushing on Astra hardcore would've talked her out of going down to the Chamber of Secrets in book 3 instead of accompanying her. He wouldn't have been so upset about her dating Marcus and might have actually noticed that Marcus was being shady before Astra got hurt. He would've been less likely to be on board with suspecting Wren fifth year, and more likely to suggest they go talk to Mr. Potter about that (and literally everything else). He would have stood up to Astra's kind of crazy, impulsive ideas much more often, and as a result Astra's impulsiveness wouldn't have driven the plot nearly as much as it did.

Astra would change the story a great deal by being in a different House, not least because she's the only POV character for the first five books. Everything we see is through her eyes for most of the story, and even after Wren gets her own POV, Astra is still a huge part of her story, too (I don't mention Albus's POV here because I'm not sure Astra being in a different House would've affected this book at all, so his POV wouldn't impact this). For one thing, Astra's House prejudices probably wouldn't have developed at all, or at least not been as fierce. She would have had a wider circle of friends, most likely, though I think the Gryffingang still would've been the closest (the Potter boys adopted her and Wren, after all, and I don't think that would've changed much). A Slytherin Astra might have been forced to get along with Ciara much earlier, and maybe even Nico, too, which would have changed a lot of Nico and Ciara's storylines and character arcs later in the series (would Nico ever have even joined Stillens if he'd just had, like, more than one single healthy relationship in his life?). While I think a lot of the big, overarching plot lines would've stayed the same with the Predatels and Stillens and all that, the whole way Astra saw Hogwarts and the people there would have been very different, which would have led to a very different tone for the story, I think.

Surprisingly, I think Wren being in a different House would've changed the story the most. She wouldn't have been part of the Gryffingang if she'd been in a different House. She would have been friends with them first year, but maybe not good friends, because she would have been a little closer to her Housemates, or maybe no one at all—it's very likely that she would have been a very sad and scared wallflower whom no one noticed until she was gone, because that's very much what she was like anyway, outside of her dorm mates and the Gryffingang. Worse, if she didn't have such strong friendships first year with people who were very committed to doing what was right, she might not have had the courage to come back at all, which would change everything. And even if she had, Astra wouldn't have cared as much beyond being intrigued by her dreams, so Wren's trial probably would've gone a lot differently.

At least, this is all what would happen if she'd been sorted into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Slytherin? That's a different story. I firmly believe that if Wren Predatel had been sorted into Slytherin, she and Ciara would have become good friends immediately. Not only that, but Ciara Malfoy would have been observant enough to notice there was something going on with her friend, and smart enough to go to a professor about it. If Wren had been a Slytherin, Ciara would have gotten McGonagall involved before Wren disappeared, and the entire trajectory of her story would have been completely different. And because her story is so closely intertwined with Astra's, the whole series would have been irrevocably changed.

If you had to, could you rank the dynamics of pairs in the friend group?
An excuse to dissect some of my favorite fictional friendships of all time? Don't mind if I do! However, I tried and tried and tried and I simply can't rank them. I'm sorry! I know that was the question. But the dynamics are all so very different, and I love them all for different reasons. I can at least talk about them, though. I certainly have some that are near the bottom (or... well, top? It's "worst" to "best" here), and I do have some favorites, so maybe I can give a general ranking? Like... a very loose ranking? With the understanding that I absolutely love all of these individual friendships and exploring them has been one of my favorite parts of writing this series.

Oh, and yes, of course I'm going to include some unofficial Gryffingang members. Maybe not for every character (James and Poppy hardly interact outside the group, for example), but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about them.

Astra and Nico: Hahahaha this one shouldn't count, but I couldn't pass up talking about it. I have such a fun time writing Nico interacting with the Gryffingang, especially Astra, and not even because I love the tension and the struggle of redemption. It's literally because he's an idiot who doesn't know how to talk to people in general, let alone Astra Lestrange. I had to include it. Just them stumbling into not hating each, despite Astra's best attempts to the contrary? Love it.

Colette and James: They don't get to interact one on one very much, unfortunately, so they get to be at the bottom. I do think they have an interesting dynamic, because they could be an unstoppable pair if they just managed to want the same thing at the same time in the same way. However, that so rarely happens that I can't base their dynamic off of it. They really just argue a lot, and it gets very heated most of the time. Luckily, they both aren't the type to hold grudges (unlike Astra, James rarely goes out of his way to make her angry by not listening to her, so Colette rarely gives him her silent treatment). I fully believe that they would never be friends at all if they didn't both love Albus, Astra, and Wren so much, but I also think that they do care about each other now.

Albus and James: Okay, don't get me wrong, I do love the Potter boys. Getting to write sibling relationships inside a friend group is fantastic, because growing up my brother and I were so close in age that we often shared friend groups too, and it really can get dicey sometimes. I just feel like I never really got to explore their relationship that much, simply because Albus wasn't a POV character until James was out of Hogwarts, so they were hardly together where we could see just them. Honestly, that might be part of what ranked Colette and James so low, too. Anyway, I absolutely love them, and the whole "James tricks his family into thinking he abandoned the DA" arc, specifically scenes with Albus dealing with that, was super hard to write considering how much I've projected my brother and me onto them.

Colette and Ciara: Okay, they don't get to interact much as friends, since I'd honestly use that term loosely even at the beginning of this book. However, watching them have to start learning how to get along because they both care about Wren (like... also Astra, but definitely Wren was the tipping point)? I loved that so much. I think they would be very good friends, if given the chance, because Ciara isn't likely to be put off by Colette's lack of outward emotional depth (she was friends with Nico for years, after all), and she would probably appreciate Colette's desire to know everything about the things she's interested in in a way that most of the Gryffingang doesn't. I like to think they became friends after everything.

Ciara and Nico: Points for being very good friends at one point. The best-friends-to-enemies-to-friends-again arc is one that I love, but didn't think I'd be able to do with anyone at all in this series (we won't count Wren; she was gone for the whole arc). Of course, as we all know, I also wasn't planning a redemption arc for Nico, so with a redemption arc came the necessity of him making things right with the people he's hurt, which especially includes his ex-best friend. And don't get me wrong, they were genuinely friends when they were younger (contrary to popular belief, Nico was not in love with her the whole time. He's no Albus. When he started having feelings for her, he asked her to the Yule Ball). We only saw them at their worst, fighting with Astra, but they're both pretty smart and enjoyed each other's company most of the time. Also I've loved writing a justifiably angry Ciara slowly learning how to forgive, because let's be fair, that was never her strong suit.

Ciara and Poppy: They're a by-product of Wren growing closer to both of them at the same time, but I love them. Ciara, of course, desperately needed friends for a while before she and Wren started getting along, but Poppy has always been pretty well-liked and content in her social circle. I just love that as a sixth year she was willing to make new friends with her fellow prefects (even ones who were unpopular or kind of controversial) and also to let these friendships become arguably her closest ones. And, of course, the two of them in this book trying to take care of Wren just makes me so happy.

Albus and Nico: Is it just me or does Albus need more guy friends? Gosh, this is one of the only ones that's not his brother. I've loved writing them, though. I think watching them try to be decent to each other is hilarious to me. Partly because Nico doesn't know what "polite" means (even when he's trying his hardest) and partly because Albus hated his guts perhaps a little more than necessary, and trying to move past that was difficult. The understanding they come to by the end, though, feels very sweet to me. The way Nico gets the "monster" thing differently than anyone else... I think they're destined for a better friendship post-finale is all I'm saying.

Albus and Poppy: I don't know if they should count, since they're dating, but I think that dating without friendship sounds horrible, and they're certainly friends, so I'll mention them here. I absolutely love them. Poppy is very patient and kind and generally pretty wise for a teenage girl, and just gives Albus a lot of what he was never able to get from any of his other friends. And Albus is such a caring and supportive boyfriend (what can I say, the Potter boys were raised right). They're just so adorable to me! Sorry, Astralbus fans, but the ship was doomed from the moment Poppy had her first line (which I believe was the beginning of the sixth book).

Colette and Poppy: Like... you'd think they wouldn't get along, but they really did? I appreciate that. Personally, I feel like Poppy would have been very intimidated by Colette (especially once the buffers of Astra and Wren were gone), but she managed to get over that. And Colette likely underestimated Poppy (a flaw of hers, unfortunately) as a pushover, so it was probably a surprise when Poppy took her side over Albus's with Nico, and they ended up working well together.

Albus and Ciara: This friendship just seems very sweet? Very pure? Like, by all accounts they never really had a big personal problem with each other after first year (other than simple prejudice), but Albus always stands by his friends, so they never got along. But then Wren starts getting closer to her, and despite the fact that Albus has not been having those same experiences with her and has no reason to be nicer, necessarily, he just... does it? And it turns out they would've worked really well together as a team? I know I'm the one who chose to write it this way but I feel robbed that they didn't get to be headboy and girl together because they would have absolutely rocked it.

Wren and Poppy: They're freaking cute, okay? You guys said "Oh, Poppy's only there to date Albus" and I said "Okay, fine, she'll be Wren's friend, too!" and now I love them. Like, heck. So cute? It would be so easy for Poppy to be very jealous of all of Albus's friends (since as we've already established, they're all girls), but instead she developed a very real, solid friendship with Wren based on mutual respect. Poppy is just the very needed kind and compassionate outside influence on all of these very broken and traumatized children (and that includes Ciara and Nico).

James and Ciara: Literally, I love them. The way they hated each other vehemently for years and then managed to not only get over it within two weeks (again, because of Wren), but James actually gave up a yearlong teasing streak to take her side over his favorite cousin. Not only that, but more than once they've joined forces to gang up on Wren (in a loving way), which is frankly adorable. I think they're hilarious together.

Wren and Colette: I really did not think they would be friends, or get along at all. My original idea in Champions was that Colette was going to be highly resistant to her coming back and joining their group, and there was going to be tension between them indefinitely. At the very least, I didn't see them ever being close. But the very first scene I'd planned between them took off on its own in a completely different direction, and I realized that a lot of their differences are pretty complementary? They both are incredibly smart and logical and perceptive, of course, but generally in different areas. Colette's fairly cold demeanor apparently translates into vehement protection of her friend, and Wren's very non-confrontational style of loving her friends is rarely enough to force Colette's emotional barriers up. Beyond that, Wren is probably the quickest to forgive when Colette is unintentionally too harsh. I really love the fact that they tend to be able to follow each other's thinking without trying (Nico playing messenger in this book only would have worked between Wren and Colette). They just have a very chill friendship, which I think both of them desperately need.

Wren and James: Again, I don't know if this counts? It's certainly my favorite ship of the series, but since it's not a platonic dynamic I wasn't sure if it belonged on this list. Even before they started dating, though, I feel like James was always gentler with Wren than anyone else. You could argue that he already liked her in the early chapters of Champions, and with hindsight I'd agree, but it wasn't the plan at the beginning. I was still thinking Jastra until I started getting closer to the Yule Ball, to be honest. I had a whole scene written for James and Astra to start to realize they like each other (which still exists funnily enough), but then something clicked, and I noticed that James had taken off and gotten feelings of his own. I could cry talking about Wrames honestly.

Astra and Ciara: The original enemies-to-friends. Honestly, I stand by the fact that making Astra a Lestrange was the best cliche idea I ever had, simply because forcing her and Ciara to be cousins was so fun. I love them. The way they still bicker like they hate each other, but would never let the other one get hurt. I enjoy that Astra brings out a much more savage side of Ciara that you don't get to see as much around Wren or Albus.

Astra and Albus: Best friends of all time, I can't not adore them. Sure, they've had their ups and downs, and they don't necessarily bring out the intelligence in each other, but they've really been there for each other through everything. I'll admit, I do understand the appeal of Astralbus, because they complement each other really well. Albus is generally the temperance to Astra's impulsiveness. The lack of Astra and Albus interaction in this book has killed me.

Wren and Albus: Oh my gosh, they're so cute? They're so kind and soft with each other? In ways they'd get absolutely roasted for if Colette or James or even Astra were around, too, which makes it even sweeter that they have each other. Hot take, but I think Wren and Albus were closer with each other than either was with Astra first year.

Poppy and Nico: This is another friendship I wasn't expecting to happen, but I think that's what I love so much about it. Poppy has every reason to hate Nico (he's literally the reason her parents got murdered!), but instead she chooses to show grace, to help him change and grow and become a better person. The fact that they became genuine friends without me even trying just warms my heart. Poppy's very casual "of course we're friends" attitude that tends to leave Nico so bewildered is so very special to me.

Wren and Nico: I think by now everyone knows this one was a surprise to me. Nico was not intended to be redeemed, but apparently I'm a sucker for redemption arcs and he and Wren clicked very quickly. Their very unique dynamic in the sixth book is literally what put a redemption arc on my radar. Maybe it's the draw of enemies-to-found family, or maybe it's just the very weird, unplanned, organic chemistry they have as friends?

Astra and James: The absolute OGs. I love them so much. The brother-and-sister-but-better vibes? The way they can function on their own, but get together and share one braincell between them? Love love LOVE. Words fail me.

Astra and Colette: I've always loved them, but something about the found family vibes just gets me every time. Like... Astra somehow worming her way past all of Colette's defenses, enough so that instead of trying to make it on her own, Colette actually goes to Astra and asks for help (shows vulnerability!) when her dad kicks her out. Obviously it helps that Andromeda is apparently the queen of seeing a child once and deciding they're hers, but so much of the found family starts with Astra and Colette. I think Astra tries to understand her more than the others do, and Colette goes so far out of her way to help Astra so many times... they're just sweet, okay? They both needed family so desperately, and they got that in each other.

Albus and Colette: My loves, oh my goodness, I'm so glad I got to explore them in this book. I cannot explain to you how much I've fallen in love with them. They don't seem like they'd work well together, but somehow they do. I feel like they balance each other out better than any other friendship pairing that either of them is in. Just... the softness Colette shows around him that no one else gets to see? His complete faith in her and immediate forgiveness? The way they both just get each other? I would die for them. I love them SO MUCH.

Astra and Wren: Such unfailing loyalty. Astra gave up paradise for her. Somehow, they've survived about a billion things that would've wrecked most friendships and still would do nearly anything for each other. I made a very intentional decision when I sent them up to the third floor alone, and Wren kind of touched on it then. They're inextricably linked by the way they were singled out but also connected by Stillens over and over again, but it's grown into much more than that over time. To have a friend that you know has your back that much is such a special, unique thing, and I really don't think any other friendship rivals theirs in depth except Albus and Colette. It's becoming a theme in this series, but it probably won't surprise you to know that this dynamic is something I stumbled into and have turned into something intentional once I noticed it. The way their stories always come back to each other is so sweet.

Wren and Ciara: I said I wouldn't be able to rank these dynamics, but that might have been a slight lie. As soon as this question was asked, I knew exactly who would be at the top of the list. Wren and Ciara have my favorite friendship of all time. It's got the enemies-to-friends dynamic that Wren and Nico have, but it's a much deeper friendship. Sure, it's not as thematically intertwined with the plot as Astra and Wren's friendship, but I love the progression of these two. Of course, they don't fit the enemies-to-friends dynamic as well as the others because barring the first book, the dislike was a two way street but the hatred was not. Ciara's reason for hating her was rooted in very-valid-but-misdirected feelings of jealousy and anger and distrust, and Wren's wariness of her was completely justified. Watching their defenses slowly break down in spite of themselves, watching them have to deal with the fallout of ruining Eris's life together... it was just very meaningful to me. I think their friendship feels the most organic, and they click in the best way.

What do you think would've happened if Colette had continued to go to Beauxbatons?
Astra would've either died in the forest second year trying to rescue her friends OR she would've been kidnapped and that's as good a dead. Series over.

If Astra had somehow made it, I can't imagine the kind of chaos she and Albus would've gotten up to if Colette had never been there. She's just integral to so many things in this series that trying to pull her out would unravel the whole thing.

Would the story have changed a lot if James had been in the same year as Albus?
They would've driven each other crazy, probably fought over Astra second and third year until she was so fed up that she just started hanging out with Lacy and Iris. I don't think any of them would've been as close if James didn't have a little distance to live his own life, because he and Albus would've been insufferable.

Are any of your characters based off of people in your life?
Yes and no. Honestly, it's been so long since I've introduced most of them that I'm having a hard time remembering. I can tell you which ones were based on me, but I think you already know that.

I remember that originally Haverna was partially based on one of my teachers in tenth grade who hated me for no reason. Listen, plenty of teachers had reason to not like me because I was smart enough to not have to try very hard and would read books all through class, but I made sure I did everything perfectly in his class just because I knew he'd get mad at me for nothing anyway and I thought that if I complained enough to my mom and she complained enough to the principal he might get fired (no such luck). Obviously she is no longer based on this man.

Occasionally when James was being annoying I was projecting my little brother on to him, I think. He and Albus are definitely based off me and my brother in a lot of ways (interchangeably, as well—neither character is always my brother or always me, and neither of us is always in a good or bad light). Honestly, though, I can't really think of anything else. I've never been the type to spitefully write people into my stories to like "get back" at them, and it's always felt weird to think about writing a character based on someone I knew and liked. I always felt like that limited what that character could do, and I never wanted to do that.

If we're talking about characters who are not my characters, though... inked_depths might have something to say about this one...

A few questions for the characters:

To Luke and River: What's your favorite show?
Luke: "This is a ridiculous question. Star Wars the Clone Wars, obviously."

River: "I was going to say The Good Place, actually."

Well, they don't have a shared favorite, it seems. But I doubt Luke's answer is a surprise to anyone!

To Astra: Why are you so oblivious?
"I don't understand why people keep asking me that?"

If she was self-aware enough to notice how oblivious she was, she wouldn't be as oblivious anymore, would she? Besides, it's a very funny character trait, you have to admit.

To Ciara, Astra, and Wren: On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you hate Nico?
Ciara: "10 at the beginning of the year, and... I don't know, a 3 by the end."

Astra: "1,000,000 to start with, obviously, and maybe like... 999,999 now? Okay, fine. Maybe he's at a 5 or something..."

Wren: "I don't?"

Oof, hard question to answer when the answer keeps changing.

To Luke: What's your favorite Disney song?
"'We Don't Talk About Bruno,' obviously. It drives my little siblings insane!"

To River: What's your favorite fandom?
"How do you expect me to pick just one? Um... The Hunger Games, probably. I loved The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!"

To Astra: Why aren't you dating Albus?
"Um... first of all, ew. Second of all, do you really think even if I somehow did like him that I'd try to break up him and Poppy? What kind of terrible person do you think I am?"

To Colette: What first got you into spell creating?
"I don't know. It's just really interesting, I think. One of my professors at Beauxbatons was a spellmaker, and he'd give demonstrations of his spells sometimes. I guess I'm just intrigued by it."

To Ciara: How are you so COOL?
"I... uh... I mean, I don't know? Am I?"

To Fred: What's the best prank you've ever pulled off?
"Does messing with James's head for a year count? Because it was really funny watching him try to convince people I was dating Ciara."

What's your favorite line of the whole series?
Oh gosh, I don't know? There's many that I'm proud of, and many that are hilarious, and dozens more that I thought were very deep once and now think are hilarious because they tried so hard to be deep. I can give a short list, though?

One funny one that I like a lot (I'm sorry, Mom) was when Colette and Albus were being sent to the detention center, and Russey was talking about how much he had admired Harry Potter and Albus told him to shut up, because clearly he didn't admire him at all if he was happy working for his murderer. Colette then said, "I suppose it makes sense that a bastard like you would have the integrity of a wet piece of parchment."   Which is objectively not the most savage quote of this series, or even her best insult, but I thought it was very funny at the time and still do.

Honestly, my actual, serious favorite quote is also from Colette. I stumbled into it on accident, but I think it perfectly captures one of the core themes of this series. Wren and James have just broken up, and Astra is convinced that Wren will never talk to her again, that she doesn't even deserve the forgiveness it'd take to restore their friendship. Colette's response still resonates with me, personally, and I hope with many of you: "If you ever deserved forgiveness, it wouldn't be necessary, would it? Isn't the whole point that you don't deserve it?"

Face claims:

This is Nico. To be honest I wasn't looking for him to be this attractive but it's impossible to find teenage/adult face claims that aren't like incredibly hot (because nearly every "teenager" is an adult model). I always picture Nico as Zuko without the scar, mostly because Zuko was part of my initial inspiration for his character arc. (This is Luke Powell)

Here's Cassie! I swear, she took more time than anyone else to find a face claim for because every little girl was either too young, too old, or just a little too blonde. Honestly, this picture might be a little young, but she's simply small for her age so just go with it. Children are hard to do face claims for. I'm very happy with the tone of this picture, though! Just the right amount of serious and whimsical at the same time. Also 100% an outfit Toire would dress her in if it just had a lot more color. (This was a picture from an online store and I couldn't figure out what the model's name was, which is understandable since she's a child)

This is Charis, clearly just after being put down by Astra. As cool as it would've been to find a toddler with blue hair, I had no luck whatsoever. I adore the vibe of this picture, though. I saw this and immediately knew it was the one. Look how happy she is! (Same as above, I couldn't find this model's name)

And here's Teddy. Well, the first picture is the hair and almost the right vibe but you can't see any part of his face at all which is so frustrating. The second picture has the wrong shade of hair (and is not smoking, I looked very closely. Teddy Lupin does not support lung cancer). So, I guess just mash those two pictures together? Listen, I tried so hard to find a blue haired boy that wasn't someone's Teddy Lupin edit, but literally it was impossible. Mostly because I have the same image in my head of Teddy that everyone else in the fandom does and that Teddy is very much a drawing. Did I think about finding the right vibe with different hair? Yes, I did, and I decided that was a stupid idea because the only time Teddy's hair isn't teal is when he's depressed. (I have no idea who either of these people are because Google couldn't see their faces).

I thought Toire would be easy because ethereally beautiful blonde women make up half of Pinterest but it turns out that when you're picky it's a lot harder. I think Toire's zoned out thinking about how worried she is about Colette here, sometime in Act II or III. (This is Natasha Ivanova, and this was the only picture of her on the entire internet apparently).

Our beloved Elmer! He took his glasses off for the photo because he wanted to look cool and impress Lily. Seriously though do you know how hard it is to find people that look like teenagers when you search for teenagers on Pinterest? (This is some TikTok boy, that's all I could find out)

Pip is trying to look very serious for the camera, but obviously he's normally smiling. It's so hard to find pictures of boys smiling though. (This is William Franklyn-Miller)

This is Eviana. I genuinely have no idea if I've ever described her physical appearance, but this is what I picture now. The vibe seems right, too. (No idea who this is cause she's a model for a shop and they never get names)

Legitimately, this is the first picture I saw and it screamed Brigitte. Too intense? Looks slightly crazy? That's our girl. It is funny though how I simply did not describe a single character back in the day. I could literally pick any picture and it could be her because I've never once described what she looked like. (This is a model named Nikola and apparently she doesn't have a last name cause the photographer just called her Nikola).

This is Adalyn. Guess what I searched here? If you said angsty teenage girl, you got it. I like how she looks just a little unhinged. (This is Sasha Kichigina)

Artemis is always going to look serious and intimidating. It's just how it goes. I think she's trying here, though. (This is Estelle Chen)

~~~~

Now we've reached the end. The light is dimming, the sun is setting, and a journey of nine years is finally drawing to a close. Though this series may be done, I hope that it will continue in your hearts. I know it will in mine, as will the love and support I've gotten from all of you over the years. Let this series be a reminder to hold tightly to your friends, to fight for what's good and true, and above all, when everything around is dark, to be the light.